Ueshiba Morihei

By prejn
  • Birth of Morihei Ueshiba

    Birth of Morihei Ueshiba
    Born in Tanabe, Kii Province
    - Fourth child and only son to Yoroku Ueshiba and Yuki
    - Financially affluent family
  • Childhood

    studies buddhist scripture and confucian lessons in a Buddhist temple (Jizodera)
    • starts having reaccuring dreams
    • father starts to worry about his son, so he promotes him in doing more physical activites such as swimming and sumó
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    School

    attends Tanabe Prefecture Middle School but leaves two years after to go to work for Yoshida Abacus Institue
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    Training

    Graduiation
    - Works for the Tanabe tax office as a land value assenssor
  • resigns from tax office

    Participation in a uprising against a new fisheries act in Tokyo
    - withdraws from the tax authority
    - emigrates to Tokyo
    - establishes trading company
    - studies Tenhin Shin’yo-ryu Jujutsu and Kenjutsu
    - marries Hatsu Itokawa
    - develops heart beriberi after a few months in Tokyo -> determined to strenghten his body
  • Joins Army Infantry Regiment

    in Osaka
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    russian japanese war

    sent to front as corporal
    - returns as sergeant
    - attends Masakatsu Nakai’s dojo in Sakai (Goto School of Yagyu-ryu jujutsu)
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    Return to Tanabe

    discharged from Japanese army
    - returns to Tanabe
    - studies Kodokan judo from Kiyoichi Takagi
    - awarded certificate from Goto School
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    Hokkaido

    birth of first daughter (Matsuko)
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    Kishu Group

    Ueshiba Morihei becomes leader of the Kishu group, consisting of fifty-four households
    - leave Tanabe for Hokkaido in March
    - arrive in May and settle at Shirataki, near village of Yobetsu
    - start a farming community
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    Fire in Shirataki

    meets Sokaku Takeda (Daito-ryu juijutsu) in 1915
    - the Shirataki community is completely destroyed by Fire
    - His first son is born two months after July 1917
  • Election

    elected as twon councillor in Kamiyubetsu village
  • Fathers illness

    when he got the news that his father was ill, he left Hokkaido
    - he tranfered land property to Sokaku Takeda
    - Meets Onisaburo Deguchi of Omoto religion in Ayabe
  • spiritual path

    his Father died on January 2, aged 76
    - begins his spiritual path alongside Onisaburo Deguchi
    - he returns to Tanabe to relocate with his family to Ayabe (HQ of Omoto religion)
    - builds "Ueshiba Juko" dojo.
    - second son, is born in Agust
    - eldest son, Takemori dies in August, aged 3
    - second son, Kuniharu dies in September, aged 1
  • arrest

    authorities clamp down on sect and arrest Onisaburo and his third son, Kisshomaru
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    Awarded Kyoji dairi

    his Mother Yuki dies
    - Sokaku Takeda visits Ayabe along with family for five months to teach
    - awarded “Kyoji dairi” (teaching assistant) certificate from Takeda
    - Ueshiba’s martial arts principles become known as Ueshiba-ryu aiki-bujutsu.
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    emmigration

    emmigrates to Mongolia with Onisaburo to establish an utopian community
    -The party led by them is captured and held prisoner by the Chinese military for plotting to overthrow the government
    -released after a short interment - intervention of Japanese consulate
    -return to Japan
    -teaches at the Ueshiba Academy
    -works on farm
    -reflects on his Mongolian experiences, particulary facing death
    -found he could see flashes of light
    -encountered situations of manifestations of a spiritual force
  • spiritual encounter

    challenged by a young naval officer (master of kendo)
    - defeats him without fighting because he could sense the direction in which the blow would fall before the officers wooden sword would strike
    - Ueshiba goes to wash at a well and experiences a complete serenity of body and spirit.
    - At the same time the concept of the unity of the universe and the self became clear to him
    - Ueshiba changed the name of his art to Aiko-Budo
  • Demonstration

    Ueshiba performs demonstrations in Tokyo to the former Prime Minister Gombei Yamamoto
  • Return to Tokyo

    Ueshiba is invited to return to Tokyo by Admiral Takeshita
    - begins teaching at the Imperial Court and at the Imerial Household Ministry
    - In summor, he returns to Ayabe, ill with an intestinal disorder
  • moves to Tokyo

    moves to Tokyo with entire family
    - establishes temporary dojo in billiard room of the Shimazu mansion in Shiba, Shirogane in Samurachi
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    moving

    1928 moves to Shiba, Tsunamachi, site of temporary dojo
    - 1929 moves his family to Shiba (near sengaku temple), sets up temporary dojo
    • 1930 moves to Shimo-Ochiai in Mejiroda
    • Jigoro Kano of Judo observes demonstration by Ueshiba in Mejiro dojo and dispatches several students from Kodokan
    • Ueshiba is visited by Major-General Makoto Miura
    • Miura is sceptical and comes to defeat Ueshiba but changes his mind
    • Ueshiba becomes instructor at the Toyama Military Academy at Mirua's request
  • Hell Dojo

    dedication of eighty mat aiki-budo dojo inaugurated as the Kobukan dojo in Ushigome, Wakamatsu-cho
    - becomes known as “hell dojo” because of the intense training
  • Budo Sen'yokai

    Budo Sen’yokai (Society for the Promotion of Martial Arts) is established
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    Promotion

    becomes president of Budo Sen'yokai
    - published technical manual "Budo Renshu"
    - Takeda Dojo established in Hyogo Prefecture
  • Documentary

    film documentary of Aikido Budo made in Osaka
    - still the only known pre-war film of Morihei Ueshiba
  • martial arts demonstration

    attends martial arts demonstration in Machuria
    - Aiki Budo becomes official curriculum subject at police academy
    - Kobukan is granted status as incorporated foundation by the Ministry of Health and Welfare
  • Butokukai

    Aiki-budo is assimilated into the Butokukai (a government body uniting all martial arts under one organisation)
    - Ueshiba gives demonstration at Sainekan dojo on imperial grounds
    - teaches at military police academy
    - invited to Manchuria to instruct during University Martial Arts week
    Becomes martial arts advisor for Shimbuden and Kenkoku universities in Manchuria
    - first use of name AIKIDO
  • Aiko registered with Ministry of Education

    "Aikido" bevomes official and is registered with Ministry of Education
    - invited to Manchuria as representative of Japanese martial arts to attend Manchuria Japanese Exchange Martial Arts demo's in commemoration of 10th anniversary of Manchurian Independence
    - moves to Iwama, Ibaraki Prefecture
    - his son, Kisshomaru becomes Director of Kobukai Foundation
  • Shrine

    Aiki Shrine built in Iwama
  • ceased activity

    Kobukai Foundation ceases activity due to post-war ban on martial arts
    - Iwama dojo completed.
  • Director of Aikikai Foundation

    Hombu Dojo moves back to Tokyo from Iwama
    - takes the title “Aikikai Foundation: The Hombu Dojo of Aikido”
  • Travel

    travels to osaka to instruct in dojo of Bansen Tanaka for several weeks
  • public exhibition

    several foreign ambassadors invited to public exhibition
  • U.S television documentary

    U.S. television documentary “Rendezvous with Adventure” filmed
  • Medal

    receives Medal of Honour with Purple Ribbon from Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese government
  • TV Documentary

    invited to Hawaii by Hawaii Aikikai
    - TV documentary made by NHK company
    - all-Japan Student Aikido Federation established with Ueshiba as president.
  • Aikido Demonstration

    First All- Japan Aikido Demonstration
  • Reveives Order

    receives Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, as Founder of Aikido
  • new Hombu Dojo

    New Hombu Dojo is established